Do I ship it?

Games › Grid-Based Movement › Grid-Based Movement + Idler

Specimen · observed

Should I ship a Grid-Based Movement Idler?

Grid-Based Movement + Idler

Only 16 developers shipped a Grid-Based Movement Idler in the last 2 years, too few for firm odds: the middle one made est. revenue: est. copies × today's US list price; gross, before Steam's cut, taxes and refunds. See method.; the top game by est. revenue, Fungal Colony Sim 2, made about est. revenue: est. copies × today's US list price; gross, before Steam's cut, taxes and refunds. See method.. 28 more are announced, ×2.5 for every developer who shipped in the last year.

Verdict: poor odds, for a 3 / 10 build.

The middle developer here made $1.3k, ×2.6 the market's $480 for a 3 / 10 build, and 3 in 10 made under $540; 1 in 20 cleared $3.1k, ×6.6 the market median. Revenue is up 200% on the market; 28 games are announced against 11 developers who shipped in the last year.

Deciding numbers: median 2.6 times the market baseline, revenue up 200% on the market, 28 announced, ×2.5 per developer who shipped in the last year.
Nobody has said they are building this yet.
Grid-Based Movement + Idler
Fig. 1 · this niche among 16,100
Plate 1 · outcomes, 2 yr n = 16
Median est. gross by half-year cohort, 2023 H1 to 2026 H2: $748 → $1.0k → $1.3k (still earning) → $599 (still earning)
The last cohort is still earning.
Outcomes for Grid-Based Movement + Idler: Plate 1 · outcomes, 2 yr, n = 16
Bottom 30% $538 (exactly $538)
Median $1.3k (exactly $1,258)
Top 25% $2.3k (exactly $2,336)
Top 5% $3.1k (exactly $3,116)
Developers, 2 yr 16
Released games 34
Announced 28
Effort 3 / 10
AI-buildability High
Typical price $3.99

momentum: how a niche's revenue percentiles and developer count moved between two equal, adjacent periods, divided by the market's own move. See method., 12 months: revenue up 200% on the market, supply 85% more developers than the period before.

Free games: 18%, excluded from money figures.

See every window in the explorer →

Plate 2 · systems and tooling

Can AI deliver it?

AI-buildability for this niche is high: the lowest rating among its tags.

Grid-Based Movement
effort 3 / 10 · high · effort 3 sits in the high band
Idler
effort 1 / 10 · high · number growth curves and a UI

How the rubric works →

Plate 3 · the cost side

What it takes

Effort
3 / 10 · small 2D action, light systems
Systems
Grid-Based Movement, Idler; 5 in 10 of the top 25% also carry Resource Management, Simulation, Automation
Price point
$3.99 typical · top 25% priced $7.99 or above
Art
5 in 10 of the top 25% ship with 2D, Atmospheric, Cartoon
Plate 4 · demand

Why players buy here

The top 25% priced at $7.99 or above; the middle game at $3.99.

The top 10 games average 72% positive over 145 reviews.

Plate 5 · the loss side

What kills games here

Developer outcomes in the last 2 years by share: 3 in 10 under $540, median $1.3k, 1 in 4 over $2.3k, 1 in 20 over $3.1k.

3 in 10 developers made under $540. All of the 7 games released 1 to 2 years ago have fewer than 100 reviews. 28 games are announced against 11 developers who shipped in the last year, ×2.5 per shipper.

Plate 6 · same mechanic, other settings

Adjacent niches

Grid-Based Movement with a different second tag, ranked by verdict then median.

  1. + HistoricalFair22 devs · median $3.0k · 30 announced
  2. + EconomyFair20 devs · median $1.2k · 29 announced
  3. + AutomationFair28 devs · median $959 · 26 announced
  4. + MiningFair12 devs · median $899 · 14 announced
  5. + CollectathonFair17 devs · median $809 · 17 announced
  6. + BuildingFair50 devs · median $719 · 57 announced
  7. + HackingFair14 devs · median $719 · 11 announced
  8. + SokobanFair143 devs · median $657 · 135 announced
  9. + ProgrammingFair23 devs · median $599 · 24 announced
  10. + DogsFair14 devs · median $599 · 7 announced
  11. + PlatformerFair23 devs · median $539 · 18 announced
  12. + Puzzle PlatformerFair62 devs · median $449 · 56 announced

All 126 pairs on the Grid-Based Movement page

Plate 7 · comparable specimens, by est. revenue

Comparable games

Disgaea 6 Complete 2022 · $696k Space Porter 2021 · $3.3k Fire and Dungeon 2021 · $3.3k Fungal Colony Sim 2 2025 · $3.1k The Board is Yours 2026 · $2.9k
Capsule Game Released Price Reviews Est. copies Est. revenue Developer
Disgaea 6 Complete older $59.99 387 63% 12k $696k (exactly $696,484) Nippon Ichi Software, Inc.
Space Porter older $9.99 11 81% 330 $3.3k (exactly $3,297) Stas Paty9mkin
Fire and Dungeon older $9.99 11 81% 330 $3.3k (exactly $3,297) Piece Of Voxel
Fungal Colony Sim 2 $7.99 13 61% 390 $3.1k (exactly $3,116) Skylor Beck
The Board is Yours $2.50 38 97% 1.1k $2.9k (exactly $2,850) Draelent
the travelers $4.99 16 100% 480 $2.4k (exactly $2,395) Gabriel Games LLC
Port Trader $5.99 13 46% 390 $2.3k (exactly $2,336) Urban Isotope
Evergarden $3.99 17 23% 510 $2.0k (exactly $2,035) GridForge_Labs
Little Harvest older $2.99 21 90% 630 $1.9k (exactly $1,884) Jooz
Neon Snake older $1.99 31 77% 930 $1.9k (exactly $1,851) Sirius Games
Terrarium $3.99 15 80% 450 $1.8k (exactly $1,796) Traveler Studios
Mining Grounds $2.99 15 80% 450 $1.3k (exactly $1,346) Jestercraft
Cromania · EA $6.99 6 100% 180 $1.3k (exactly $1,258) Momoiu Cerasela Nicoleta
SproutBound $4.99 7 57% 210 $1.0k (exactly $1,048) Cyberfrog Systems
Port Shipping Tycoon $4.99 5 0% 150 $748 (exactly $748) Urban Isotope

Estimates: copies = reviews × 30, gross = copies × list price.